national park of the United States
Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve is a national park of the United States that protects portions of the Central Brooks Range in northern Alaska. The park is the northernmost national park in the United States, situated entirely north of the Arctic Circle. The area of the park and preserve is the second largest in the U.S. at 8,472,506 acres (13,238 sq mi; 34,287 km2); the national park portion (7,523,897 acres (30,448.1 km2)) is the second largest in the U.S., after the national park portion of Wrangell–St. Elias National Park and Preserve. Gates of the Arctic was initially designated as a national monument on December 1, 1978, before being redesignated as a national park and preserve upon passage of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act in 1980. About 85% of the combined park and preserve has additional protection as the Gates of the Arctic Wilderness, which covers 7,167,192 acres (2,900,460 ha). The wilderness area adjoins the Noatak Wilderness. Together, they form the largest contiguous wilderness in the United States.
